Art/Sci Collaborations

Investigating neuroscience, embodiment, creativity, and healing through the arts.

SKIN Discussion Panel to occur at a2ru 2018 National Conference: On Embodied Presence in a Transformative Art Space – Neuroaesthetic, Therapeutic & Philosophical Perspectives

What is the meaning of an embodied aesthetic encounter, such as that between a performer and an audience – or among audience members? Does human presence effect the transmission of new ideas or the adoption of new behaviors? What’s happening when inanimate arts touch us with their presence? This panel will explore the implications and entanglements that arise between arts environments and their live participants. Attendance at the prior presentation (Thursday at 3:30) of SKIN, a frank and funny solo play with music by Hope Singsen, is recommended but not required. SKIN explores the resilience, creativity and vulnerability it takes to transcend sexual violence, and demonstrates the impact of embodied engagement in healing through the arts—for artists and audiences alike. Drawing on research to be conducted on-the-spot at a2ru, the panel will probe ways aesthetic experiences may be designed to enhance resilience and sustainability. In the process we will consider the body-brain itself as a creative space, guided by resilience and sustainability practices that inform every aesthetic encounter. Learn more

 Speakers:

Hope Singsen, Writer/Performer/Songwriter/Researcher

Jill Sonke, Director, Center for Arts in Medicine – University of Florida

Patricia Olynyk, Director, Graduate School of Art, Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts – Washington University in St. Louis

Chris Cuomo, Professor of Philosophy and Women’s Studies – University of Georgia

Panel Moderator:

Marni Shindelman, Associate Professor and Area Chair for Photography – University of Georgia

Vassar CAAD SKIN Panel Discussion: "Healing Through the Arts"

An interdisciplinary conversation with Vassar faculty and community members about SKIN and the theories behind it.

Following a performance of SKIN, members of the Vassar faculty joined the artist to discuss creativity, embodiment, neuroscience, and healing through the arts with the Vassar community. Panelists included Carolyn Palmer, Leslie Dunn, and moderator Heesok Chang, who together represented the fields of Psychology, Somatic Therapy, Cognitive Science, Neuroscience, Media Studies, English, Women’s Studies, and Disability Studies.

"The Touch of Creativity" Participatory Workshop at Catwalk Institute

A research-based exploration of the neuropsych, sensory, and phenomenological impacts of creativity.

During a joint residency with the Catwalk Arts Institute and Vassar College, Singsen offered a workshop for 15 faculty members, administrators, students, and fellow artists.

The workshop blended theory with practice, as Singsen outlined the phenomenological, developmental, neurobiological, and clinical aspects of her research into healing through the arts. At each step, participatory experiences prompted observations about the senses, sense memory, and imagination, ultimately inspiring curiosity about the novel modes of ideation, neuro-processing, and healing that may be kindled through embodied creative practice.